Shadows of Norrath
by C. Mage
Summary: The ongoing adventures of a man from another world who must now contend with incredible forces of magic without the cybernetic enhancements he'd become used to having...well, almost.
1. Part I: Barriers Crumbling

_They gathered in secret, lest their power be detected. Their belief was great, yet they were chained in darkness. They held out hope, even though they were imprisoned and tortured by their own race. They were desperate, yet risked their lives in the hopes that someone would deliver them from their bondage and pain._

_But one should be careful what they pray for in the darkness, lest unspoken desires change one's focus…_

**Shadows of Norrath, Part 1: Barriers Crumbling**

**By C. Mage**

"Havoc Three to Havoc One, over."

The dark man answered, "Roger, Havoc Three. Sitrep."

"Coast is clear. The package is en route, ETA ten minutes. All other units in place. Awaiting orders, over."

The dark man smiled. "You know better than that, Rat. This isn't a military operation. All your years as a spook are really starting to show."

A new voice entered the conversation, female, husky. "He can't help it, DM. He's hopeless."

"Maybe, Rocky, but I ain't useless yet. You'd do well to listen to the voice of experience from time to time." "Rat" was older than the others, though he certainly didn't show it. Many speculated that he was more than a hundred, that Leonization treatments had given him the body of a thirty-year-old in body only.

"DM" knew better. "Rat" was older than anyone else suspected. "Chill, Knife, Grave, Clown, any of you want to put in your twenty nuyen?" None of their names were their real names, of course. They'd all been in the shadowrunning business far too long to go by their real handles anymore. Not even _their_ radios were that well-encrypted.

"Would love to, but I just got a report from "God". The package just made it past the perimeter." DM was immediately all business. "Go to full awareness. Rocky, Clown, astral." He didn't say any more, but he didn't need to. He already knew the two mages would slip out of their bodies, project themselves into astral space and cloak their auras to make themselves look much less formidable. The others moved to their positions as DM took point, moving towards the landing zone.

He didn't make a sound.

The expected craft was a vectored-thrust vehicle, landing softly upon the grass in the clearing. The bay door opened and five people came out, two in security armor, three in normal clothes, their arms bound behind their backs. The men in armor raised their machineguns, looking around. They didn't see DM, but they heard the voice: low and dangerous. _"Release them this instant."_

One of the guards put the barrel of his weapon under one of the prisoners' chin. "Show yourself or this hostage die…" The voice trailed off and the barrel left the chin, falling to the ground next to the body of the guard that held it. The head, cut cleanly from the body, was the last to hit the ground. The second guard spun around, but saw no one.

He heard the voice, however: _"He died because he thought he was superior. Want to feel air on your spine, too?"_

The man backed away. He'd had enough of ghosts that were too fast to see. He backed into the bay of the aircraft and it took off slowly, picking up speed as it flew away. The three hostages looked around, bewildered, as they felt the plastic bands holding their wrists part, heard nothing but air. "What's going on?" one of them, a tall elven male asked. His voice held bravado, but fear as well.

"It's okay."

The three elves turned to see a man dressed in stark black, from the wide-brimmed hat on his head to the trenchcoat, pants and heavy-duty boots on his feet. He was armed to the teeth, pistol on his hip, submachinegun under his left arm, a massive, long-barreled heavy assault cannon on his back. He stood a good seven feet tall, broad-shouldered, a giant of a man. "Who….what are you?" asked the male elf.

"You can call me…Sleeper. You are all safe now." He looked down at the elven girl and smiled. He didn't look quite as fearsome when he smiled, almost kindly. The girl looked back at him and smiled tentatively. Sleeper stood up, then heard "Rocky" and "Clown" radio to him. He nodded, then turned to the male. "So, are you ready to go?"

"We are all ready."

"That's good to know…Lofwyr."

The male froze, then turned to Sleeper. The kindly look on Sleeper's face was gone. "How long have you known?" the male asked, the woman and the girl moving to the male's sides, three feet apart.

"At least you didn't insult me by pretending to carry the charade any longer. I suppose I should thank you for that."

"How long?" Lofwyr asked insistently.

Sleeper smiled slightly, but there was no humor in it. "It wasn't easy. Of course, it did help considering how much trouble I and my friends have been to Saeder-Krupp. Foiling your plans for your takeovers, your machinations, and more than once, staying ahead of your plans to even use us as pawns." Sleeper walked to the right side, a few slow, but deliberate steps. "You're good at what you do, Lofwyr. You're quite possibly one of the most intelligent beings in the world, and you make Machievelli look like a third-rate fixer. But you have traits that ultimately leads to your downfall."

"Oh, really? And what are those, might I ask?"

Sleeper stopped, facing Lofwyr. "You're cruel. You're sadistic. You're too used to getting your own way for so long, you think you're entitled to it. Those traits make you predictable."

Lofwyr stared at Sleeper, then shook his head. "You have no idea what sort of being I am. I was alive when your ancestors were digging in the dirt for worms to eat. How could an insignificant, slow-witted, short-lived creature like you even begin to comprehend what I am, what my purpose is?"

"Is that what you tell yourself to justify what you do? You ruin and destroy lives, because you think you can, by the privilege of your own existence. You even took these two people, brainwashed them into carrying micronukes inside their own bodies, just so you could use them to kill me and my companions. That'd be quite the trick, to boast that you had singlehandedly taken out the Seven."

Lofwyr narrowed his eyes. "I could destroy you, even now."

"No, you can't. In the space of time it took for me to tell you what I knew of your plans, Icer has already hacked the access codes of the detonators within their bodies. They might as well be gallstones right now." Sleeper smiled predatorily.

"You're lying. Not even the infamous Icer can access or decrypt those codes."

"Prove me wrong. Have them self-destruct."

Lofwyr looked into Sleeper's cybernetic eyes. At that moment, he knew that Sleeper wasn't bluffing. "You have outdone yourself. I am impressed, dare I say, even flattered that you would go so far to thwart me."

"Don't be. Icer would've rather done something more challenging, like sort loose change. If anything, you should be frightened. You think I came here for a rescue? I came here to stop you once and for all. I've come to atone for all the lives I've taken and ruined by letting you live."

Lofwyr threw back his head and laughed. "Now you have come to entertain me. I am doubly grateful." As he spoke, his body began to grow, change, shedding the form he'd chosen for his ruse. The male elf fell away to reveal the true form of Lofwyr, that of a great dragon, wings spread, teeth bared. "NOW, SLEEPER, I SHALL BE RID OF YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!" He raised his head, jetting a gout of flame into the air as a signal to his waiting reinforcements to move in and lay waste to Sleeper and his companions.

The call went unanswered. Lofwyr looked down to the physical adepts who'd sacrificed some of their power to bear his weapons of destruction. Both of them now lay upon the grass, inert. Sleeper now stood thirty feet away. His weapons were at hand, but he had yet to draw them. Lofwyr glared at Sleeper, but didn't make his move. He hadn't survived others of his kind as well as other monstrous threats by going off half-cocked. "THEY WERE MY BEST," he said idly.

"They were, until you stuffed nukes into their bellies. You couldn't even stop corrupting your own weapons."

"THEY WERE MINE TO DO WITH AS I WILLED."

"Stalling for time, Lofwyr? Waiting for your backup to arrive? Hate to rain on your parade, but RollingThunder invited a few friends to have a party with your backup. About seventy or so. This is what you get when you kill off shadowrunners. Their friends get testy." Sleeper's voice turned colder by small degrees. "You're trapped."

"TRAPPED?" Lofwyr began to laugh, a thunderous, chilling mirth that made the nearby trees lose leaves from the force of it. "DO YOU DREAM YOURSELF CAPABLE OF HOLDING ME FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME? I TIRE OF YOUR INFANTILE PRATTLE. BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU THAT YOUR DAYS AND THE DAYS OF YOUR WRETCHED 'SEVEN' ARE NUMBERED. I DON'T ADVISE STARTING ANY LONG BOOKS." Lofwyr raised his wings to lift off.

"Coward."

The wings paused in mid-leap. Lofwyr turned his head to narrow his eyes at Sleeper. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, INSECT?"

"You're a coward. That's what your peers will say when they hear how you, the vaunted Lofwyr, ruler of all that you survey in Germany and beyond, encountered Sleeper in the open, his friends all occupied with other duties, and you flew away without even trying to take me out yourself. Oh, that's okay. I'm sure that the other dragons will consider your leaving the 'better part of valor'. They'll be so understanding that you couldn't take out one little 'insect'."

Lofwyr looked at Sleeper carefully. "YOU BAIT ME WITH WORDS, HUMAN. YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?"

"It's not a challenge, Lofwyr. I can take you. By myself, with no interference from anyone else."

"DO YOU GIVE YOUR WORD THAT THIS FIGHT WILL BE BETWEEN THE TWO OF US ALONE?"

"Why, Lofwyr. You sound scared."

That apparently did it, evidenced by Lofwyr's roar of unbridled rage. The thought that he, Lofwyr, one of the greatest of dragons, afraid of a human, angered him beyond coherent words. He snapped his head down and breathed a gout of air-searing flame at the ground where Sleeper had been standing. The superheated flame caused a loud roar as the very air the flame occupied was reduced to nothing by the force, and the flame caused a palpable impact as it hit the ground, fusing the dirt into a thin layer of stone. Lofwyr smiled as he looked at the burned plate on the ground, a full fifty feet wide. His smile disappeared, however, when he felt the pain in his belly and reared back to discover that two meter-long gashes had been cut in his chest. He roared in pain and scanned the area, bringing his enhanced senses to bear to find the one who dared to touch him. "SLEEPERRRR!!!" he bellowed.

"What's the matter, Lofwyr? Having trouble?"

Lofwyr immediately threw a spell of fiery destruction at the spot where he'd heard Sleeper's words, his reaction time fast even for a dragon. A section of trees exploded, the ground baked by the spell. The dragon barely had time to register a smile of satisfaction before another explosion caught his attention, an explosion of sound and pain as the primary joint of his right wing disintegrated, the huge appendage dropping to the ground like a broken kite. "RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Lofwyr roared. Never had he experienced this level of pain, added to the indignity of knowing what caused it. "WHERE ARE YOU, SLEEPER?!"

"Now, now, what would be the fun of that?" came the voice to Lofwyr's right. The dragon turned, only to feel the pain compounded by another explosion. Lofwyr was now grounded, both his wings damaged beyond the means of any spell save full regeneration. What's more, his own blood was now coursing from the wounds.

Lofwyr's voice was now a barely restrained roar. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Screw you, you overblown excuse for a set of luggage…"

Lofwyr turned and chomped down on the precise location of where he heard the source of the voice, ripping up a large section of earth. When Lofwyr realized that he wasn't tasting flesh or cybernetics, he spit out the dirt angrily. "THIS IS A TRICK…NO ONE IS THAT FAST!"

That's when he felt the presence on his back, just for the space of a split-second. His great eyes went wide, and then the pain, but this pain was brief and caused all other pain to go away. Lofwyr barely noticed his body crashing to the ground, all feeling and strength gone. He looked up, only able to move his eyes as Sleeper walked into view.

Sleeper looked down at Lofwyr. He was victorious, but his face held no satisfaction or glee. "My, how the mighty have fallen."

Lofwyr only had one word. "HOW…?"

Sleeper took a breath, but the words came out not from his lips, but a good thirty yards away. "Microreceivers keyed to my voicebox mods. I was literally throwing my voice. Gotta hand it to you, Lofwyr, I had to use every skill at my disposal to keep from getting seen and killed. Hope that comforts you on the way to whatever hell waits for dragons like you."

"NO WEAPON…MADE COULD…DAMAGE ME…"

"No normal weapon, true. However…" Sleeper raised his arms and curled his fists inwards slightly. A sharpened spike, colored silver and gold, appeared from each arm. "…orichalcrum-based weapons work wonders. The explosions you felt were from a new type of explosive a friend of mine worked up. Took years and cost a fortune. Luckily, I had both. You were a hard dragon to beat, but your pride made it easier for me."

"SO…YOU'VE WON…SO FINISH ME…"

Sleeper looked at Lofwyr. "Why should I? Without medical aid, you'll die eventually. Might take a week or so, if the animals don't start feeding on you."

Lofwyr struggled to get the next words out; his own weight was making it hard to move his lungs. "WHAT…DO YOU WANT…FROM ME?"

"Your word that you won't do anything stupid, like try to bite me. I've only got one bomb left. You don't want me to waste it, do you?"

Lofwyr closed his eyes. "DONE."

Sleeper walked around Lofwyr's head, giving it a wide berth, until he reached the neck and moved to the base of the dragon's skull. He placed the bomb under the ridge of bone and set it to remote, then walked away, retracing his steps until he was twenty feet in front of Lofwyr's head.

"FEEL FREE…TO GLOAT…SLEEPER…" Lofwyr said ruefully.

"Unlike you, Lofwyr, I don't take pleasure in killing you. My only consolation in this affair is that your company will be used to repair the damage you've done, to protect those you once victimized. Icer's already set up control of Saeder-Krupp and handed it to someone who works for me. Your megacorporation is going to be in good hands…finally." He turned his back on Lofwyr and activated the bomb, the shaped-charge blasting through the thick bone of the dragon's skull and turning his brain into deep-fried guacamole. He opened a channel to the rest of the Seven. "Fade, now."

Five minutes later, they were gone.

Sleeper walked in and removed his coat, heading to his room at the base in the Rocky Mountains. He didn't say much, simply removing his clothes and lay back on the medical table, clad only in his briefs. He was indeed tall, with a crewcut of borwn hair and strong features, but still a bit boyish. Muscles and veins stood out under his skin, all of it synthetic protein polymer compounds and circulation. Icer, a tall elf with a wild blue Mohawk, walked to Sleeper's left side and turned on the biomonitors, plugging the leads into the plugs along his spine. Stone, known as "Rocky" during the run, began casting a spell of recovery, having to put extra effort into the magic to make it effective on someone with so much cyberware and bioware in his body.

Sleeper closed his eyes, his breathing becoming even. Badger walked in and turned to Icer. "How's he doing?"

Icer scanned the readouts. "We're getting some signal ghosts in his move-by-wire system. It's going to take three hours of diagnostics to isolate and weed out the murmurs. He can't keep pushing himself like this, Badger. If this keeps up, he'll soon blow out like an old light bulb. He's also got burn damage over fifty percent of his body. If it wasn't for the pain editor in his skull, he'd be screaming right now."

"No, he wouldn't," said the female elf that came in, dressed in skintight purple leather. "Sleeper's too tough for that."

"Tombstone, he was nearly cooked,' Badger replied, but a part of him believed the physical adept. "He's damaged, though we know he wouldn't show it. He's had so much of his body augmented, replaced…look at him. He spends every night hooked up to biomonitors and error-correction hardware to keep his cyberware from freezing up on him. He's got several million nuyen's worth of the best stuff money can possibly buy and a lot of it money can't buy."

"It's kept him alive when nothing else could," Heloquin interjected.

Icer looked up from the displays. "It's killing him now. I'm detecting neural damage in major pathways along his spinal cord and in several areas of his brain. If these areas aren't treated and his cybernetics removed, one good shock and he'll have a stroke. Even if that shock miraculously doesn't happen, he'll start having lesions develop in his brain, lesions that'll result in cancer."

The room was silent. Sleeper had never officially claimed to be the leader, nor did any of the other people suggest the idea, but Sleeper was always the one with a cause, a need to do something about injustice anywhere in the world, a motivator. In fact, the general consensus of the core group was that Sleeper's fierce sense of justice and principle was what kept him from going cyberpsycho with all the modifications made to his body.

And now those modifications were killing him.

"How long does he have?" Badger asked in a voice that was almost a whisper.

"If he doesn't move from this spot…six months. More if he stays as stubborn as usual, but no activity more strenuous than picking up the morning paper."

"This is Sleeper, you know. For him, picking up the paper is a shadowrun."

"Badger, you're not making this any easier, you know."

"What do you want me to do? Say that Lofwyr got his wish, Sleeper's out of action permanently?" Badger looked over at his friend on the table. "Forget it. No way."

"Badger, we've gotta talk. Front room, five minutes." Heloquin left, followed by the other members of the Seven. Badger was the last to leave.

The room went dark as the door closed. For ten minutes, all there existed was darkness and Sleeper.

And then the woman in the leather tunic and breeches was there, setting her bow down and leaning over Sleeper's body. "Well, well, well. You are not an easy person to track down, Stephen. We have to talk."

Sleeper's eyes opened and he turned to look at her. "Who are you?" he asked tiredly. Downtime was always draining, and it startled him that he could actually stay awake.

"My friends call me Erollisi Marr. I've got a job for you."

"How'd you…get in…here?"

"That's not important right now. I've been looking around for someone like you for a while. Some people I'm rather fond of have asked me for help, but Fate has determined that they're someplace I can't get to without upsetting some very large applecarts." He placed a finger upon his chest. "I need you to help me out."

"You need…a shadowrunner."

"What I need, Stephen, is a hero. Someone who'll get the job done. I made a promise, and you're going to help me keep that promise."

"Not able…to help anyone…right now."

"You're telling me. Look at what you've done to yourself. I've never seen anyone go to so much trouble to turn himself into a contraption. The gnomes would give up their eyeteeth to get a better look at you. Why did you do this?"

"…to survive."

"But why? Are you afraid to die?"

"No…too many…people die…out of greed…hatred…madness. Someone has to…protect them."

"And you think you're going to save the world? Sounds kind of arrogant."

"I will not…stand by….and allow evil…to spread." Sleeper exhaled loudly; talking was very difficult for him.

Erollisi smiled. "Good answer, hero. Maybe we can help each other out. But it means leaving this world, likely never to return. You'll lose a lot of your power. But you'll be able to help people."

"…my friends…?"

"They'll have to get along without you. But they have to eventually. And if you prolong this, you won't be able to help anyone ever again."

"Can I…say goodbye?"

Erollisi considered. "No one can see me. You'll have a few minutes, but the door is only open for a few more minutes."

Sleeper nodded. "I've decided."

"Maybe we could just…I don't know, just keep letting people think he's still active, just in different areas. If nothing else, it'll keep the other megacorps off-balance, especially when they find out Lofwyr's dead. It'll be the biggest thing since Dunkelzahn's assassination."

"Try not to sound too excited, Tombstone." Stone sighed with mild irritation.

"Look, we all knew this would happen eventually." Badger looked around the room. "It's not like we're normal people who don't buck the System every single day."

"But Sleeper was the youngest of us…the most idealistic. It's…" Mackie, the techie, looked around at the others, but she couldn't finish.

"Go ahead. Say it. We're all thinking it. 'It's not fair.' No, it isn't, Mackie," Icer said solemnly.

Everyone jerked as the alarm went off, the red light on the wall flashing. They ran into Sleeper's room to find that the main monitor plug had been pulled out. "Sleeper, what are you doing, you maniac…?!" Badger blurted out.

"Look, Martin…I don't have a whole lot of time." The use of Badger's real name shocked him into silence. Sleeper looked around the room. "I…have to go, guys. Someone needs my…help. I'm no good here anymore. We all know it. Lofwyr nailed me. I wasn't…fast enough. But I have a chance. Someone…offered me a little trip somewhere. Somewhere I…might have a chance to do some good again."

"Sleeper…" Stone said, but Sleeper held up a hand.

"It's going to…be alright. You're…all….going to…be alright. I'm going to…help people again. Don't…don't give up. This world….needs…you…" He took a deep breath. "I know…you'll all…do what needs…to be done." Sleeper turned his eyes to a corner of the room. "I'm ready…"

Sleeper's body began to glow, a golden-white white that filled the room, dazzling and blinding in its strength. Everyone shielded their eyes with their arms as the light flared, then dimmed. When they lowered their arms, Sleeper was gone.

No one spoke for a long time. Finally, Badger smiled. "One thing you can always say about Sleeper. He always knew how to make an exit better than anyone."

"You think he's…?" Tombstone asked hopefully.

"He's alive. We'd know it if he wasn't." Badger turned to the others. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"We've got to make the arrangements to get out of here, as well as come up with a way to keep up the 'Sleeper sightings'. If we're lucky, he'll be bigger than Kilroy."

Stone looked at Badger. "Who's 'Kilroy'?"

Badger shook his head. Sometimes, he hated being the old man of the group. He knew they'd all mourn later, privately, then move on.

But it would never be quite the same.

_"Are they going to be alright?"_

_The female voice came back, a voice that could seduce a statue. "They'll be okay. They love you, you know?"_

_"What makes you say that?"_

_A chuckle. "You could say that I'm an expert on the subject."_

_"So...how did you...?"_

_ "Long story, Stephen, and we don't have a great deal of time."_

_ "Could you at least give me the Reader's Digest rundown?"_

_ "Alright. You're going to a world of magic, not technology. No guns, none of your machines. Sorry if that means hindering you."_

_ "Is this world I'm going to as polluted as mine was?"_

_ "Not hardly."_

_ "Then I'll deal, Lady."_

_ "Also, you're going to have to lose those enhancements of yours. Most of them, anyway. Let's see..." There was a pause as Sleeper floated there. "Hmmmm...there's some...amazing. There's not a lot of you left, is there?"_

_ "What are you, my mother?"_

_ "Don't get testy. I'll be able to remove most of it, but I'll let you keep the rest. After all, I wouldn't want you to get a swelled head, or break down. There won't be anyone where you're going who can fix you."_

_ "I gathered that."_

_ "I noticed those things in your arms. I can't seem to remove them. Ah, I see. The material your arm weapons are made of doesn't exist on Norrath. It is beyond my power to remove them...so I shall make them more a part of you. Now this may sting a little..."_

_Sleeper would've yelled in pain, but by the time he could collect his thoughts to do so, it was over. "Okay…that was more painful than advertised…"_

_"I had to transform you. You're still a man, but you're going to be around for a while. That is, unless someone kills you. You're not as indestructible as you were before."_

_"I'll cope."_

_"You'll have to, since when I let you off this merry-go-round into the real world, you won't remember much of this. Only the really important things that I want you to remember. And no, you won't remember me or any of this. Have to keep the devoted going with faith. I start proving I exist and hand out eyewitnesses like candy, and it won't be nearly as much fun."_

_"What will I know?"_

_"You'll know you're not the…what do you call it again, cyborg you once were. You know you were brought here for a reason and you'll remember the life you had before. From there, you're on your own."_

_"Story of my life."_

_"I know. Now be quiet, you're being dropped into enemy territory. Can't advertise my presence, or I'll have to account to the siblings, they'll start talking about retribution, things get ugly."_

_"You're kind of….casual, for a goddess."_

_"And you're kind of cute, for a human." Merry laughter. "Ta ta."_

Lylly looked down the hallway, then back at the other Tier'Dal. "All clear."

Maianta nodded and waved down the hole in the rock to the next dark elf in sight, who then waved down the next, and the next, and the next in a series of passages to a chamber below the cells. In the chamber, three other Tier'Dal mages continued their rituals, not allowing their skills to go to waste while trapped in the darkness below Neriak. Lylly kept a vigilant watch, knowing full well that as bad as their confinement was, there was much worse they could suffer besides being used and abused on a daily and nightly basis. Much,_ much_ worse.

Fortunately, Lylly was one of the best when it came to getting around without being seen. It was thanks to her that the others had managed to live as long as they had, smuggling in food and herbs, sneaking water from the guards' canteens, a swallow or two at a time. Five years of hellish treatment, and despite Lylly's best efforts, they were all getting weaker.

She caught sight of light growing down the hallway and hissed down the passageway. She ran to her place on the cell floor, snapping the manacles into place around her bruised wrists and ankles. The others scrambled up through the opening, the last one putting the stone cover back into place as they all chained themselves anew. By the time the jailers came to the cell, all of them looked as if they had nowhere to go and no way to get there. "Wake up, you scum! WAKE UP!!"

The prisoners stirred and pulled themselves up. They had stopped asking whether it was night or day a long time ago. At first, some of them had smart remarks for the jailers. After a few months of beatings and punishment rapes, the smart remarks didn't seem as clever. They sat up and waited.

"Good." The head jailer smiled, clearly enjoying his work. The two women with him carried whips, and looked eager to use them. "Now, which will it be this time? You know the rules. The sooner someone volunteers, the more lenient we'll be…"

A loud noise, like a muffled explosion, came from down the hall from the cell. The jailer turned towards the noise, then to one of the whip-maidens. "Zoranthis, check out what made that sound." The woman nodded, heading down the corridor, taking out a dagger with her free hand. The jailer watched her turn the corner, then turned back to the prisoners. "This had better not be another cheap trick so you can get the guards running all over the catacombs looking for an intruder."

Lylly frowned. "We know nothing about…"

"Shut up, acolyte of a useless goddess. How dare you presume to think that Innoruk, God of Hate, would be considered inferior to that slut, Erollisi Marr?! 'Goddess of Love', indeed? Love is a crutch for those too weak to embrace true power." He drew out a set of keys and unlocked the cell. "For your insolence, I think we'll just torture _all_ of you…"

"Mutherin…"

The jailer turned to the other whip-mistress. "What _is_ it?"

She pointed down the corridor and the jailer turned, aggravated at the interruption. He saw the prone form of the other woman, lying motionless on the floor. He saw a massive shadow, the size of a troll, standing over her. The shadow moved, turning to face the jailer and his aide.

"Typhea, get the guards…get them…!"

The shadow moved, rushing towards them, seeming to swallow the other female in its darkness. It turned, then the woman flew at the jailer, knocking him down. The jailer pushed the woman's unconscious form off of him and sat up to find the dark shadow standing over him, a rapier pointed at his nose. "Keys. NOW."

"Who are you?"

The tip of the blade pushed into the flesh of the nose, then flicked down, cutting a slit in one of his nostrils. The jailer howled in fresh pain, looking up at the man. It was easier to see the details now. A man, a human or barbarian by the look, wearing strange, black clothing, with a long overgarment and a wide-brimmed hat. "I'm not going to tell you again. Keys. NOW!"

The jailer held up the keys. "It will make no difference. You'll never get out of here alive. You're dead."

A low chuckle came from the throat of the stranger. "Oh, if I had a nickel for every time I heard those words…" He took the keys and tossed them into the cell. "We're getting out of here."

Lylly picked up the keys, looking closely at the human. "Who sent you?"

Sleeper tried to remember what happened. His mind was a blank after saying goodbye, but he did remember one name. "Erollisi Marr."

"Thank the goddess," came a cry from one of the mages as she removed her manacles.

"Shhh!" Sleeper said quickly. "Let's not let everyone know we're leaving just yet." He gestured with the rapier. "Inside, pal, and carry those two with you."

The jailer looked indignant. "I am not going to share a cell with those useless corpses. You did me a favor, killing them for their incompetence."

"Two things, pal. One, they're not dead, they're unconscious. Second, the only reason you're not just as unconscious is because I need you to direct me to the way out."

"You won't need him."

Sleeper turned to Lylly. "You know the way out?"

"Every step."

Sleeper turned back to the jailer. "Guess I don't need you then."

One of the warrior Tier'Dal, a male named Spidrus, drew a dagger from one of the whip-mistresses. "Let me kill him!"

"No," Sleeper said firmly. "This is a rescue operation. Hang him up by his ankles and leave the other two in the cell with him. What do you think his superiors will do to him if they find him like that?"

Spidrus considered, then unbelted the sheath from the whip-mistress' waist, putting it around his own waist.

"Good. Now lock them up."

"There…now don't they look cozy?" Sleeper dryly commented.

"They would look better peeled like tubers," one of the shadowknights, a female named Leyastra, said with acid in her voice.

"Business before pleasure." Sleeper turned to Lylly. "What's your name?"

"Lylly. The others are Maroca, Spidrus, Maianta, Jeffren, Ialai, Yllen, Sapra, Geidos, Quilla and Leyastra. They're all devotees of the forbidden goddess Erollisi Marr."

"Goddess?"

"The goddess of Love. Don't you know who she is? She did, after all, send you."

"Well, that's a long story and we'll have to get into it after we're safe. Okay, Lylly, here's the deal. We need a way out with as few guards as possible. You say you know this place."

Lylly thought about it. "The only way I know is the drainage passages to the sea. But we can't go that way. All sorts of scavenger fish lie in wait for anything that might be considered food."

"How long before you're discovered missing?"

"A day, maybe two. We've been there for so long, the others simply take it for granted that we haven't escaped. As you may have noticed, we could not survive any sort of escape attempt. We may not, regardless."

"Alright. I'll get you to the passage exit, then I'll get us a boat and some supplies. Hopefully by then, they won't have noticed you're missing."

"There are guards at the exit passages."

Sleeper smiled. "Good. I've got some frustrations I want to take out on someone."

"You sound like you're enjoying yourself," Lylly said skeptically.

"Believe me, I am, but not for the reasons you think." He checked his belt pack, glad that his energy bars were still there. "Here, ration these out, but only nibble them. Think of them as highly-concentrated food. Eat too fast and you'll get sick."

Lylly took them, looking at the foil-wrapped packages. "They don't look tasty."

Sleeper opened one, peeling the wrapper back. "Try one now."

Lylly took a nibble, then grimaced slightly. "I think I'd be better off eating that paper-like wrapper you peeled off."

"It may not taste like much, but you'll feel better for it. Eat up. I'll be back."

Lylly nodded, turning back to hand the energy bars to the others, then looked over at Sleeper with another group of questions. She blinked.

Sleeper was gone and she hadn't heard him leave.

Sleeper took stock of his possessions, increased suitably by the pacification of the guards that surrounded the sewage outlet. The three guards weren't dead, but considering they were dressed in their undergarments and tied back-to-back, they would likely wish they were when their relief arrived.

Sleeper didn't find any armor that fit, and the swords they carried didn't have the fluid feel of the rapier Harlequin had given him years ago. In fact, the rapier seemed more balanced. _More of a magic-rich environment, the blade's likely more powerful. Better watch that._ He took the clothes and the equipment, though, the freed prisoners would likely find them useful. As he rolled up the equipment and stashed them nearby, he looked up at the sky over Neriak. Even though it was midday, the sky still had a dark tinge over it, making daylight like twilight. _Forbidding place…but these elves aren't the only ones who benefit tactically from darkness. Cybereyes are gone, but I still have some natural nightvision. No cybernetically-enhanced senses. This is going to make things interesting._

He looked towards the city harbor. _Time to do some fishing._

Yllen and Sapra, two of the female mages, finished eating their food and crept over to the open mouth of the sewer, sitting next to Lylly. "What do you think?" Sapra asked.

"Slaver, likely. I doubt Erollisi Marr actually sent him. He's likely a slaver, or a mercenary at best. He'll probably try to put collars on us as soon as we're away from Neriak."

Yllen shook her head. "I don't think so. I saw his eyes as he regarded us. A slaver would've been more likely to command, have a way out already planned."

"Well, if he wants to take us, there's not much we can do to stop him. We're starving and weak, and he's just given us food and water. It will be a week before any of us are up to fighting strength. He'll wait before taking us, unless he's aroused by the sight of skeletons."

"You're too cynical," Sapra noted.

"I've been around longer and I was born in Neriak, unlike all of you. You had the benefit of being raised in a monastery where you felt the affection of those who cared about you. Not me. I was chased out of Neriak for my crimes and dared to return, guiding you in to minister to those who wanted to learn other ways besides hate. So spare me the platitudes. I'll believe it when I see it, and not until."

"Do you always expect the worst of people?" Yllen asked.

"Yes. And I haven't been disappointed yet." Lylly gazed out over the dark water of the sea.

"You may be disappointed by this one." Sapra said sagely, then stretched her arms. "He was right about one thing."

"What?"

"Those bars he gave us were filling after all. If we continue eating like that, we may be at full strength sooner than expected. Not exactly fortuitous if he plans to keep us docile," Sapra added, standing and heading towards the others deeper within the passageway.

Yllen stayed with Lylly to keep watch. "She's right. I already felt strong to work on some of my healing spells."

"So he made a mistake, helping us too early."

"You think so?"

"I just hope I'm not going to have to fight my way out of a collar. I've been there once and I have no desire to return."

Yllen nodded. "I will not allow that to happen. If he is what you say, we will be ready for your signal."

"Good. Tell the others."

Sleeper rowed slowly and pulled the boat away from the dock. It was easier than he thought, since the guards at the docks were more concerned with their warships and merchant boats than with small fishing boats. _Especially one in this shape. I just hope this thing will stay afloat long enough to get out of sight of the town. _He raised his foot, glad that his boots were waterproof. _At least my feet will stay dry until the water gets higher. Okay…time for a little personal inventory. No cybereyes, no cyberears, no commlink…in fact, looks like no headware altogether. Slower than I was before, and I feel weaker as well._ Sleeper raised his arm and made a fist, then cocked it forward. A silver spike with golden veined through it slid instantly forth. _Still have these, apparently. Thank God for small favors. Looks like you're starting back at square one, with the first mods you ever received. The natural enhancements seem to be there, which just goes to prove that there's no substitute for exercise. Still feel hungry, but not as much as usual. Looks like whatever was used to get me here took away almost everything artificial. The good news is, I don't need to be hooked up to a ton of machinery every night to keep me sane. I'll just have to be more careful from now on. Better keep the cyberspurs to myself. Not sure when I may need concealed weapons._

He looked towards the edge of the coastline ahead. He didn't dare speak, not sure what sort of defenses or alert systems Neriak's leaders would have this far out, but deciding to err on the side of discretion. He reached for the bucket floating on the bottom and started bailing.

_Time to figure out my next move. I might be able to patch the boat; there's plenty of debris at the mouth of the sewer entrance I can use for a temporary fix. That elf, Lylly, she seemed to know the score; I'll bet she can guide us out of here. The sixty-four million nuyen question now is, why did this Erollisi Marr pick me? Surely there was someone more local she could've brought in._ His eyebrows furrowed. _Not that I'm complaining about the new lease on life, but I wish I knew more about what was going on. The language they were speaking, I could understand what they were saying and they could understand me, but the sounds were different. Looks like Erollisi fixed my voice and my language comprehension. Wonder what else she did._

Sleeper sighed. "Dimensional travel should come with a manual or instructions. Next time, I'm going to get better travel accommodations than Erollisi Marr Travel Agency. Didn't even get an air bag or a bag of peanuts."

"He's coming."

Lylly nodded. "Who does he have with him?"

"No one," Ialai confirmed. "There's a boat at the shore. It needs repair, but I think I have a spell that can repair the damage."

"This man must either be telling the truth or he's the worst slaver or mercenary I've ever seen. No escape plan, no decent transportation. He's a disgrace."

"Don't be too critical, Lylly. He _did_ free us, after all, when no one else did."

"He's a man, and worse yet, a human. You all know what they're like. Stupid, short-lived, oversized…"

"Oh yes, I know exactly what those creatures are like. But it could be worse. He could've been someone more debased, evil, depraved."

"Exactly."

"He could've been a Tier'Dal."

"Yes, he could've…" Lylly stopped, then turned to Ialai. "Are you trying to make a point?"

"Could be it has been made already."

"Very well, Ialai, you've made your point." Lylly looked up at the sky. "It's getting darker. What is taking him so long to get up here?"

"He just pulled out a large bundle. He's bringing it up to the passage." She smiled. "Get the others."

Lylly nodded and moved quickly to the back of the passage. "He's back. Be ready. Come on." They nodded and crept closer to the mouth, preparing an ambush in case the stranger's intentions were less than honorable.

When they looked over the edge of the rocks, they saw the stranger standing there, opening up the bundle. "Here. I got all the clothing and gear I could find on short notice. Hope you can find stuff in here you can use. I also found some weapons. I'll let you decide what to use."

"Uhm…thank you." Ialai was a little startled.

"Now, I'm going to see if I can make that boat more seaworthy. If any of you can help, come on out after you've finished changing." Sleeper turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Sleeper stopped and turned back. "Yes?"

"We don't even know your name."

Sleeper considered. _"Sleeper" is all but gone now._ "Call me…Stephen."

"Stephen." Ialai smiled. "Thank you, Stephen."

Stephen nodded and left the tunnel.

The other dark elves moved into the light cautiously, looking at Ialai. "Well?" Jeffren asked.

"I think we can safely say that he's not going to try to enslave us," Ialai said, a truly joyful look on her face for the first time in years. "Look! He has brought us armor, weapons, food and drink, even the silver and gold the guards carried. Truly this man was sent by Erollisi Marr to rescue us." She looked at Lylly and tsked. "And you were worried."

"I am still worried. But, armed and clothed, I will feel less worried." She picked out a set of leather armor and put it on, drawing out a pair of shortswords. "I would feel better if I had my own gear, but this will suffice."

"Come," Quilla said, one of the clerics of Erollisi, "let us do what we can to help him with the boat. The sooner we leave, the better."

The others agreed and walked out to assist. Lylly was the last to go, shaking her head at their naivete. "Far too trusting. You'd think a few years in hell would open their eyes, but they still see saints where they should be wary of sinners. As soon as this ship of fools has cleared the coast off Nektulos Forest, I am going to find the nearest place to part company before he can take advantage of me."

She followed, keeping a close eye on Stephen.

"Stephen?"

"Yes, uh…Leyastra, right?" He looked down at the younger Tier'Dal.

"Where do you come from? Antonica? Faydwer? Luclin?"

"Uhm…you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He continued to row through the night. Unfortunately for him, his choice of words only intensified the curiosity of the other Tier'Dal.

"Try us," Geidos said.

"I come from another world. One far worse off than this one."

"Now I find that very difficult to believe," Lylly quipped. "How bad could it be?"

As Stephen began to talk, the other Tier'Dal moved closer to listen. "Think of a world filled with tyranny. There were no governments any more, only rich businesses so powerful, their influence spanned the world. They corrupted and polluted the land, poisoning it. Imagine being somewhere where it wasn't even safe to breathe the air because of what had been done to it for the sake of making money. Food was short, so hard to find that many had to resort to eating food that was little more than beans and fungus, carefully made and sweetened to make it edible."

"Didn't they have magic?" Quilla asked.

"Yes, but simple magic wasn't enough for some, using blood magic and other corrupting magic to gain even more power and control that which they didn't already own."

"What do you know of such forces?" Maianta asked.

Stephen took a breath. "I fought against them. Me and my companions."

"Where are your friends? Are they here?"

"No. Just me."

Geidos noted the touch of sadness in Stephen's voice. "What sort of enemies have you faced?"

"All kinds. Vampires, monsters, men, even dragons."

"You have faced dragons? I do not believe it," Lylly said flatly.

"Actually, I got kind of a reputation for being a dragonslayer long before I could actually kill one. It's sort of a funny story, actually. I was working with my friends to find a magical statuette, supposedly holding some sort of evil entity. A dragon stole the statuette and became some sort of undead creature. I ran to the roof with an explosive device, trying to engage the creature. I figured I was dead already, but I was going to do my best to take that thing with me. I reached back to throw the explosive when someone from the media…think of them as extremely advanced minstrels…took a picture of me preparing to attack."

"A picture?"

"Yes, they had devices that could take anything visible and re-create it as an image on paper."

"Go on," Maroca, normally the quiet and reserved type, actually spoke up in entreatment.

"Well, the attack failed, but the thing was defeated and destroyed by a surprise attack by another dragon. The media never noticed the dragon, and when they re-told the tale, they made it sound as if I'd destroyed the dragon with one blow. Needless to say, a few dragons didn't sleep well for a while and my life became more interesting."

"I knew it." Stephen turned to Lylly, who had been sharpening her swords. "A charlatan who made his way on his reputation."

"Lylly!" Geidos almost stood up in the boat. "Why are you so hostile towards someone who has done so much to help us without asking anything from us?"

"Because I know he will, eventually. So spare us the suspense, human. Why don't you tell us what you want from us. Perhaps one of the females, or more, to warm your bed? Or one of the men? Or do you want one of us to stay with you as your servant in return for our safe passage? Don't be shy, we're all dying to hear it," Lylly spat at him viciously.

Stephen looked at them all, then back to Lylly. "Alright, Lylly. You want to know what I want?"

"I'm breathless with anticipation."

"Fine. I want to go home. I want a lifetime supply of Oreo cookies. I want my M107 HMG. I want to see my friends and let them know I'm alright. I want my Riverine instead of this leaky boat. I want a little sanity in an otherwise chaotic world. I want to see the sun shine and not have to worry about some large organization hounding me every moment of my life. I want to be able to sit down and read a good book. I want to settle down and have a family. I want to be able to know that I did something that made this world a better place. I want to be able to dream again. And dammit, I want to be able to have at least one person in my life I can rely on!" he finished, looking into Lylly's eyes. "You think you can help with any of that??"

Lylly didn't show it, but she was taken aback by the force of his words and delivery. She looked at Stephen for a few minutes, then turned her back and continued sharpening her swords. Stephen turned and faced the bow, keeping an eye out for hazards, eddies or hostile fish big enough to threaten the boat.

No one spoke for some time, and most of the Tier'Dal lay asleep in the boat. Lylly was still awake, watching from the stern to spot anyone or anything following them. Stephen was also still awake, leaning over the prow, lost in thought.

"Stephen?"

He turned back to see Yllen sitting up, rubbing her eyes. "Yllen, right?"

"Yes."

"Sometimes I can be bad with names. I used to be a lot better." He chuckled slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I can't sleep. I'm cold."

Stephen nodded, removing his long coat and draping it around Yllen. The rest of his clothing could now be seen, a long-sleeved shirt, vest and slacks. The material was thick, yet moved like silk. "You dress well, but you do not wear armor."

"Oh, the clothing is armor. It's just designed to stop weapons from my world, although I think it might afford me some protection here. I relied more upon my cybernetics."

"Cybernetics? What are those?"

"Enhancements made to my body to make it stronger, faster, more versatile, more durable."

"Didn't they hurt?"

"In ways you cannot imagine. They were slowly killing me."

"Then why get them at all?"

"Better to die slowly and still be able to help people than to die quickly and help no one."

"You are determined to aid others. It affects every decision you make. It is a commendable trait." She moved closer to sit beside him.

"It's the only thing that kept me sane."

"Sane? Why?"

"You cannot alter your body to such a degree without it affecting your mind. And I had almost all of it altered. The more I altered, the more like a machine and less like a human I felt."

"It sounds horrible. Why would you do such a thing?"

"To survive. To challenge oppressors and opportunists. To defeat evil, uphold justice. To endure horror to spare others that horror."

"But why did you feel you had to do this for people you didn't know?"

Stephen looked out over the water. "A wise man once said, 'All that is required for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing to stop it.' I won't allow that to happen. Not on _my_ watch."

Yllen nodded, privately smiling at her suspicions being proven accurate. "There are many elves out there who have not half your conviction, and are hundreds of years older."

"Try growing up on the streets of Seattle. Nothing teaches you how to swim like being dropped in at the deep end."

"Such a horrible place, and yet you miss it."

Stephen shrugged. "It's the only place I knew. I don't know this place. I can speak the language, somehow, but none of this world is familiar. I don't even know what kind of money is used here."

"You need a guide."

Stephen nodded. "Wouldn't hurt."

"All you needed to do was ask."

"Didn't feel right. You've got people wondering what happened to you, who need to know you're all okay. I didn't feel comfortable imposing upon you, since I have a lot of questions and I don't think we'll be traveling together long enough to answer them all."

"You're very formal for someone in your business."

"I'm forced to deal with very formal people where I come from."

"Here, you won't see much of that unless you deal with royalty…or any high elf." Yllen rolled her eyes. "Even the lowliest of high elves consider themselves more important than a human king."

"Unfortunately, I know the type." He looked up as they cleared the edge of the coast and Stephen caught sight of structures and a harbor. "What's that up ahead?"

Yllen smiled. "That's Freeport. We've made it!"

"What's Freeport?"

"The last human bastion of freedom. It's a large port city on the edge of the Commonlands, with Nektulos Forest to the north and the Desert of Ro to the south." She sighed in relief. "We have people there that will take us in, but we shall have to be careful. Tier'Dal are not looked upon kindly, considering that their raids come from the forest regularly and harass those that travel through the Commonlands."

"More good news. Is there anyone there who would vouch for you?"

"One of the Guards, Captain Harus. He knows of us and our mission."

"Alright, where can I find him?"

"There is a shipping company on the docks. Captain Harus should be there. It's part of his regular rounds."

"Alright. Anchor here and I'll swim the rest of the way. When I find him, I'll tell him what happened. He should know what to do from there, right?"

"He'll escort us in."

"Good. I'll be right back." He smiled, then moved over the side, slipping into the water and swimming towards the docks.

Lylly sat up, watching his wake carefully. She wasn't sure why she was watching, only that it felt important for her to do so.

Stephen walked up the shore, dripping from head to foot. The cold water had served to refresh him somewhat, but he was still exhausted. As he walked up towards the dock structures, three humans, armed and armored, watched him arrive. They gripped their swords as he came closer.

The leader smiled. "That's the one. Kill him."

**TO BE CONTINUED….**


	2. Part II: DMZ

**Shadows of Norrath, Part II: DMZ (Downtown Medieval Zone)**

**By C. Mage**

In other circumstances, the plan would have been well-executed. The three men were spaced wide apart to make sure that all three could not have been caught by an area-effect attack. All were expert cutpurses, proficient in skullduggery and waylaying the ignorant. Their armor and weapons were suited to the task of slitting throats without disturbing anymore more than ten feet away. However, they had made a significant mistake in assuming their mark was little more than a tired warrior, unarmed and unaware.

Stephen was by no means unaware.

To the untrained ear, the three men were quite silent. To Sleeper, they might as well have screamed at the top of their lungs and charged forward, splashing through the surf. He gauged them as he moved towards the water's edge as it lapped against the sand. He might've assumed they were the normal thugs if it wasn't for the fact that they had decided to hang out at the waterfront near the docks. That marked them as either waiting for him or in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Either way, they wanted to gut him like a trout.

Stephen had other plans for what to do that morning.

He moved to a lurching gait, then stopped, as if gathering his breath. On cue, the men quickened their paces and the leader leaped for him, planning the tried-and-true method of yanking his head back, exposing the throat, then slicing, hard and fast. The target's body suddenly shifted forward, changing where his weight was placed, then barely seeing a boot come out of the water and ramming itself into his pelvis. The thug dropped in pain as his intestines were relocated momentarily, leaving the other two to attack. Stephen spun his legs around and moved to his feet in one fluid motion, facing his attackers. The leader lay in the surf, quietly drowning, and the other two men attacked, not even bothering to check to see if their leader was alive or not. Stephen had to respect their attention to their work; no talking, no taunting and no hesitation. Problem is, that meant pulling off the kid gloves.

Stephen baited the opponent on his left, then feinted and reached out for the man on his right, grabbing his sword arm by the wrist. He twisted and pulled, feeling the wrist buckle under his grip, then swinging him into the brigand on his left. The left found his sword embedded in the torso of his associate, pushing the body aside just in time to feel a vise-like grip clamped around his throat. Robbed of air, all he could do was gurgle as Stephen lifted him up. "Alright, buster. You have ten seconds to tall me who you're working for." The thug reached for his boot dagger and Stephen paralyzed his right arm from the shoulder on down with a precise finger strike to a nerve cluster. He squeezed harder. "Six seconds. Don't black out."

The thug tried to speak and managed a strangled yelp. Stephen took that as a sign that the would-be murderer had seen the light of Reason and released him. The thug looked up and gasped, "Not working…for anyone…just wanted…your gold…"

"Drek, did you ever run out of luck. I don't have any gold on me. Flat broke, nothing but the clothes on my back. What brings you to the docks this early in the morning?"

"Just drinking…didn't expect anyone here…"

Stephen looked at him. "You can't lie worth a damn. The truth, and maybe you'll live to see the sun rise."

"I can't…all you can do is kill me." He backed up a few steps, then looked up, a wild gleam in his eye as he drew a dagger. Stephen watched as the man quickly drew the blade across his own neck, nearly cutting down to his spine in his fervor, then dropped, turning the morning tide red. In the beginning of his career, Stephen would've jumped back and swore loudly at the sheer violence at that act.

Stephen simply walked past the bodies and moved up towards the warehouse on the docks. _I don't know what sort of time system this world runs on…but I'm willing to bet that this has to be the local equivalent of a Monday morning. Nothing good ever seems to happen to me on Mondays._

Captain Harus drank his ale and looked out the window at the approaching dawn. Seven months he'd been waiting. The pilgrims to Neriak were long overdue and he was beginning to lose hope, even though he knew Lylly well enough to find it hard to believe that anything would be able to kill her. Even so, he liked those missionaries, even though they were Tier'Dal.

And one would be hard-pressed to find anyone that would look favorably upon any of the Dark Elves.

Harus had been around for a long time, and despite his rumored half-elf heritage, gray hairs were starting to pepper his black hair and beard. Of course, he'd be more likely to attribute those to the hassles of trying to keep order in Freeport than to old age, since he still felt as hale and hearty as he did when he first came to the desert port. Freeport stood on the edge of two barren worlds: desert on one side, ocean on the other. Apart from the Commonlands, the land around Freeport was inhospitable to the unwary or unprepared. However, dying of the heat in the Desert of Ro was considered preferable to the "hospitality" of the Dark Elves that dominated Nektulos Forest and Neriak. If it wasn't for the vigilance of the soldiers and the formidable walls and defenses of Freeport, the city would've become Tier'Dal territory ages ago.

The docks were starting to wake up as sailors and dockworkers rose from their beds and hammocks. He turned towards the door and that's when his day no longer rated as normal.

The man coming through the door was tall, massive, dressed in clothes he'd never seen before. The smell of the sea came from him and Harus wondered if a sea troll had risen from the depths. The figure stopped as he entered, looking around. Harus realized that the being was a human, or something close to it. "Well, stranger…you look like someone tossed you overboard, although you don't look like someone easy to throw. Something I can help you with?" The other men working at the shipping company looked up, preparing for an assault as their hands moved to their weapons.

"You Captain Harus?"

"You know of me? Should I be reassured or threatened?"

"Let's just say we have friends in common."

Harus nodded calmly. "Lead on, stranger." The dark man turned and left. Harus followed, turning to Mann, the proprietor. "It's okay. I'll be right back to finish my ale, so don't let anyone drink it." He smiled.

"Maroca!" Harus smiled as he embraced her, holding her close, then looking around at the others. "It's good to see you all. I was afraid the worst had happened."

"For many of us, it has, but the goddess has preserved us." Maroca looked up at Stephen. "She sent us a champion."

"Then I am in your debt, stranger." Harus held out his hand. "Captain Jerrold Harus of the Freeport Militia, at your service."

Stephen shook the hand. "Stephen, at yours."

"If there is anything any of us can do to reward you for what you've done, simply name it and it's done."

Lylly looked over at the two men, picking at her fingernails and shaking her head. _Here it comes…_

"Actually, all I want right now is a good, hot meal, a warm bed and some time to get my bearings. I am…new around here and I have no clue what's going on."

Harus nodded. "Of course. I think you all could do with some rest. The beach is no place to recuperate. Come along, I've got a cart where everyone can hide until we get to the temple." He looked up at Stephen. "You may want to hide as well. Best not to attract too much attention."

Spidrus laughed. "I had no idea they made carts that size."

Jeffren looked over at Lylly. "Coming?"

"Might as well. I could use the rest, and the rest of my gear is still at the temple. I also want to be paid for my troubles."

Harus frowned. "After all that, all you can think about is money."

"Especially after all that. You have no idea what I sacrificed keeping your friends alive. I had to suffer the clumsy and painful advances of our jailors, all to make sure these people lived long enough to escape, and I expect to be paid generously for being ridden like a horse for months." Lylly sheathed her dagger. "So let's pretend to be friends for just a few days longer, you pay me what I require, I pack up my things and I leave. Simple, yes?"

"Very well, Lylly," Harus said with a sigh. "Let's not waste any more time, then. The cart is over here."

"Perfect." Lylly strode past them and walked outside.

Harus turned to Stephen, his expression apologetic. "I apologize for Lylly."

"That's okay. She's probably not over the loss in her family."

"Loss?"

"Yeah. A house fell on her sister."

"Really? I never knew that…"

_Mental note: jokes made with references to THE WIZARD OF OZ don't work here._ "Never mind, just a poor attempt at humor on my part."

Harus smiled. "A worthy effort, though I think you had better stick to doing what you clearly do best." He led Stephen and the others under cover of the docks to a horse-driven cart with a large leather cover. "Here we are. Stephen, you'd better lie on the bottom. You might crush the others."

"Thanks." He climbed in, trying not to let the others know how exhausted he was. As he lay on his back and the others climbed on, he found Lylly glaring at him suspiciously as she lay next to him.

"Try anything suspicious and I'll break whatever appendage comes close to me."

"Trust me, lady, if I tried anything suspicious in this thing, I'd break my back." He looked at her as the leather cover was pulled over them. "Why do you hate me so much? You've been riding me ever since I first saw you and I haven't done a thing to you or any of the others."

"Because if there's one thing I've learned, the ones who impose the most rules on their behavior are the ones most likely to break them. No one is that nice, noble or generous. Everyone has ulterior motives. Everyone. The gods created the races of Norrath and play with their fates as it pleases them. You think anyone else is different?"

"Must be hard to make a lot of friends with that kind of attitude."

"Friends…is that what you want, Stephen? To be my 'friend'?" She smiled and leaned closer. "Why don't you just come right out and say it, 'noble warrior'? You want me and you want me to share your bed, yield to you in every way, suckle you…"

"Lady, I don't know what you're smoking, but don't blow it my way." Stephen turned away. "Honestly, I don't know whether to dislike you or feel sorry for you if that's all you think I'm interested in."

"Then dislike me. I neither want nor need your pity, or anyone else's." She turned her head away from Stephen, aware that the eyes of the others were glaring at her. _So what? Let them stay in denial of the truth. Men have only wanted one thing from me, and so far, not one of them has ever proven themselves more than disappointing. This one is no exception._ Lylly found that she was repeating that, trying to reassure her mind, put aside the efforts that Stephen made as someone craftier than normal. As the wagon bumped along, she tried to put the matter out of her mind, but deep within her mind, a rebellious thought remained.

Hope.

Stephen whistled as he walked inside the temple devoted to Erollisi Marr. "Wow." He stepped over the threshold and gazed upon the stonework and wooden construction, marveling at its elegance and ethereal décor. The temple was made of ornate stone, smooth and glassy to the touch. While not as grand as many of the structures Stephen had seen in his own world, the temple was nonetheless a dedication to the handiwork of humans and elves. The most exotic was a statue of the goddess, arms raised as if to embrace the world. "It's beautiful."

"Glad you approve." Geidos walked next to Stephen, looking up at the statue. "This place never ceases to calm me when I am troubled. It's a shame I can't stay here forever."

Stephen turned to Geidos. "What do you mean?"

"After we recover from our ordeal, we must leave to guide others towards the proper path, provide service to those in need. We will return, and leave once more." Geidos patted Stephen on the back. "It is my hope that our paths will cross once more, and often. I must go to my village and rejoin my wife and children now. If our paths do not meet again, know well that I will remember the dark paladin for the rest of my days." Geidos bowed. "May the Goddess protect you."

As Stephen watched him leave, he sighed. He'd never been a religious person, but he was hoping that there was still a God looking out for him. Either that, or a lot of luck. He watched as the others solemnly went to their apartments to change, rest and eat, until only Lylly and Sapra remained. Stephen walked over to them and sighed. "So, where can I rest?"

"A room is being prepared for you. If you wish to put your clothes aside to be washed, we will gladly do so. You should find some robes that will suffice until your clothes are clean. Also, the baths are down that hallway towards the rear. There are two, one for the males and one for the females. Try not to get them mixed up."

"Thanks…but I think I'll wait until everyone's done, if that's alright," said politely.

Lylly chuckled. "Aw, isn't that cute. He's shy."

"As you wish, Stephen. Follow me." Sapra led Stephen away from the main temple down a hallway to the right. As he followed, Stephen marveled at the surroundings, the clean air, the faint smell of flowers in the halls, the light filtering through the windows. Now that he was no longer in Neriak, the world seemed a great deal less forbidding. Sapra stopped at a wooden door and opened it, revealing a sturdy bed with a simple desk and chair. The sheets were a clean white, and although the furnishings were plain, they were smoothly polished and of superior workmanship. "Here is your room. Please let one of the acolytes know if there is anything else you need."

"Thanks…uhm…well, I hope to see you around."

"I would like that." She bowed and left.

Stephen walked into the room and closed the door, taking a deep breath. "My new digs," he murmured to himself, then took off his clothes and tossed them into a basket by the door. He looked at himself in the mirror on the wall, looking himself over. _Lost that artificial look…mostly.__ I still look like a human, but I don't look like I have any body fat at all. Will I actually be able to retain it? Maybe it'll make me look more human. More normal._

Stephen had to chuckle a little at that. "More normal..." he said in a thoughtful tone. "May have to get used to that."

Lylly was fully immersed in a hot bath, the water steaming, and yet she could not fully relax. Her mind kept moving towards Stephen, and to say the least, he vexed her greatly. He was a human, a barbarian-sized human, but Stephen didn't have the smell of a barbarian. And she was an expert on how barbarians smelled, having been forced to endure it on more than one occasion. He smelled human, although he had other scents on him, ones both pleasant and irritating. _Smells from his own world, perhaps, if such can be believed about him._ She unbound her braid and let her hair flow around her as she immersed her head to help clear her mind of distractions. When she rose and opened her eyes again, the distraction remained: Stephen.

Lylly was always proud of her ability to sniff out a person's weaknesses, find what buttons to push, figure out what made people tick. Her evaluations were always biased towards thinking the worst of people, and she couldn't remember being disappointed. The missionaries were as honorable as they came, but Lylly attributed that to being misguided about the world around them. But then, she didn't help them for charity. She was hired to be a guide, not a penitent. Even so, she didn't expect to see one of her old rivals pulling reconaissance duty in Neriak. Tessai was also working with others, a surprise Lylly discovered only after he and her group were surrounded. Lylly knew that Tessai was responsible for making sure that the jailor for the prisoners was a despicable pervert, even by the standards of the Tier'Dal. For months, the jailor had offered them the choice on whether to be his concubines, or just to have one of them service him. Lylly had volunteered only because she knew that she wouldn't be paid as much if she lost any of the missionaries. _Besides, I'm not exactly a virgin, and I've done worse to survive._

Then Stephen came along.

Every predictable response Lylly expected from the human never occurred. Every expectation came up disappointed. He acted like no male she'd met before. Everyone wanted something out of her, what made him different? _Maybe he isn't attracted to Tier'Dal...no, that can't be it. The Dark Elves are the subject of ribald tales and fantasies of men all over Norrath. It's well known that Tier'Dal slaves fetch the highest prices. Perhaps he's not capable of performing in bed...hmph. Lylly, why are you even questioning this? In a few days, he'll be gone, you'll be paid and you can kiss this group of fools farewell. He's not worth wasting your mind on._

She splashed the water in irritation, then set her eyes upon the door. Lylly grinned. "I'll expose that brute yet. After all, what's life without a challenge? I'll show them that he's just as debased as the rest." Saisfied with her choice of actions and the opportunity to vindicate her suspicions, her mind set about ways to prove that Stephen was no champion.

And when it came to underhanded deeds, few performed them with as much style and pleasure as Lylly.

When Stephen looked up from the scrolls, the sun had passed in the sky well towards noon. He yawned and stretched. Normally he'd have been well and truly unconscious, but if there was one thing he hated, it was the thought of going to bed while still dirty. Daunted by clean sheets, he had decided to wait until the others had finished their baths before starting his. Once he'd washed, only then could he really sleep without feeling like a Seattle squatter.

An acolyte had already picked up his clothes, leaving behind a towel that looked more like a dishrag compared to his size. In addition to the towel, the acolyte had left bathing oils and a small block of something that Stephen hoped was soap. He sniffed the bathing oils hesitantly, then sighed. _What I wouldn't give right now for a good anti-perspirant. _He picked up the pots and flasks and opened his door, scanning the hall for any onlookers. Finding the hallway empty, he moved with considerable speed to the bath chambers and knocked. "Hello? Anyone in there?" he said loudly, then hushed, the loud noise seeming awkward in the small hallway. No answer came and Stephen quickly moved inside, grateful to find a lock on the door. Once the door was secured, he breathed a sigh of relief and put the bathing accoutrements down, shedding his robe and moving into the water.

He couldn't help but sigh audibly at the feel of the hot water around him. The first hot bath in days...he could scarcely believe it. Plus, without the usual cybermods dulling his sense of touch, he really felt the heat fill his body and he settled his back against the side of the bath. As he draped his arms over the sides of the bath, he closed his eyes in utter ecstacy. _Okay, that's it, I am going to spend the rest of the month in here. I don't care if I prune up until I look like the biggest raisin on the planet, no force on this world is going to get me out of this pool._

That's when he heard the door start to open.

Stephen didn't think he could dive _out_ of a pool faster than he could dive in, but in a flash, he was on the side and putting his robe on. "Hey, could I have a little privacy?"

The door opened completely and he found himself looking at Yllen, dressed in a simple shift and tunic, slippers on her feet. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in here."

"This is the men's bathing chambers, who were you expecting to see!" Stephen felt more than a little taken aback.

"Is something wrong? You seem a bit uncomfortable." She smiled as she walked closer, leaning against the side of the tub.

"Well, where I come from, I take my showers and baths by myself."

"Really? As you can see, it is the custom for more than one to bathe at a time. It saves on water."

"Yeah? Last time I checked, the women's bathing chambers were for women only...and the same went for the men."

"If you don't mind my saying so, Stephen, we are in a temple devoted to a goddess of love. Many tend to overlook some activities if they are within the scope of the goddess' domain."

"Uh HUH. Which brings us to why you're here."

Yllen smiled, moving closer and sitting on the steps leading up to the platform level with the rim of the pools. "I was hoping you and I might be able to spend some time together."

_UH oh._ Stephen put his towel ove his lap, as if it would provide him with some protection. "I'm flattered, really, but it's been a long night and I'm sure you're tired."

"Then perhaps you could take me to your bed, warm you as you sleep?" She sidled a few inches closer.

"Uhm, I don't know about you, but I feel a bit awkward about that. Isn't that what Lylly sort of accused me of when we met? I'd rather not justify those kinds of words. I'm not the type to try to make anyone a slave."

Yllen moved closer, looking into Stephen's eyes. "A man like you, Stephen...there are women in this world who would freely and gladly submit to you, beg you to make them your slave..."

Stephen moved back a few feet. "Now just hold on a sec! Look, I'm not that kind of guy. I don't go around demanding that kind of..."

"Oh, it's not something to be ashamed of, not here. There are many who love each other enough to submit in that fashion, look for someone to love them...protect them, nurture them." Yllen had moved forward until she was a few inches away, her breahless lips puckered slightly as she neared closer to him.

Stephen moved to the side three more feet, finding out too late that he only had two feet left on the platform. He yelled as he fell back, twisting in the air to right himself so he didn't land on his back. As he did so, the robes flared and Yllen suddenly got an all-too-candid look at him. Her eyes went wide and all sorts of thoughts came to her mind, then she realized that Stephen had fallen to the floor next to the pool. She moved over to him and watched as he got up from his prone position on the floor, rubbing his backside. "Are you alright?"

"Just bruised my pride. Look, I've done bathing. Yllen...look, I've been through a lot, and yes, I think it would be something to have you next to me as I slept, but...I don't think it would be right by either of us. We barely know each other and I would rather have your respect right about now, okay?"

Yllen took a deep breath, then nodded. "I understand. Perhaps when we are both ready." She smiled and walked towards the door, closing it behind her. She walked down the hall and turned into the temple proper, where Lylly was waiting for her.

"Well? Are you warming his bed tonight?"

Yllen smiled. "He has declined my company in favor of my respect."

Lylly blinked. "You're kidding me."

"Not in the least." Yllen told Lylly about their conversation. "Say what you will, but he is no pervert. In fact, he strikes me as more of a paladin than I first thought."

"Or maybe he just isn't able to perform, unable to feel arousal at th sight of a woman," Lylly said with a snort.

Yllen blushed and said knowingly, "That I HIGHLY doubt. Sleep well, Lylly. I'm going to the females' bath once more...this time, for a _cold_ bath." She turned and walked down the other hallway as Lylly looked on in muted astonishment.

Lylly looked at herself in the mirror, feeling a lot better. Her drab rags were now replaced by leather armor, a sleeveless one-piece garment made for her alone, fitted for protection as well as seduction. The sides were laced up, with her thighs bare, high cut hips and low-cut bodice to match. She wore matching boots, thigh high and flaring slightly halfway up the thighs. Her weapons of choice, a pair of razor-sharp daggers, sat on the belt around her waist, hung just loosely enough to let one side slide lower than the other, but tight enough to make sure drawing her weapons wouldn't slow one fraction of a second. Finally, twin boiled leather bracers sat snugly on her forearms, colored the same hue of red as the rest of her armor. Her hair was tied back in her preferred style, a long, rope-like braid woven down her back. Her cloak lay on the bed, as did her pack and belt pouches. In addition to the two long, curved daggers on her hips, she also had two smaller daggers, five throwing daggers, eight throwing spikes, a ten-foot long steel wire, a three foot-long weighted chain and assorted lockpicks, all concealed within her armor or within her hair.

Lylly smiled. It felt nice to be clothed properly once again.

A knock at her door darkened her expression and she walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it. Outside was a pilgrim of Erollisi Marr, but not one she'd seen before. "What do you want?"

"My name is Taya, and I wish to discuss a deal."

"A deal? And what do I get in return? A discount at the Healer's Guild? What could you possibly offer me that I would want?" She pushed the door shut.

"How about ten thousand pieces of gold?"

The door opened again and a skeptical Lylly looked back into the hall. "What are you proposing?"

"Not something I would talk about outside in the hall."

Lylly nodded. "Come in."

The pilgrim came in, pulling back her cowl to reveal a young, pretty human maiden. However innocent she may have appeared, however, her tone was that of a jaded professional. "The terms are simple. I want you to assist the stranger in whatever he wants to learn, act as his guide, but use the time to find out more information about him and report to us what you have learned."

"And who is 'us'?" Lylly asked, sitting down in a chair.

"I would prefer not to say. Plus, it would be safer for you not to know." She smiled. "Suffice it to say that it would be in our best interests to know of his whereabouts as well as his capabilities."

"Act as his guide and companion. It'll cost extra if I am forced to become his bedmate to ensure our association with each other."

"You are being paid thousands in gold. Do not attempt to pad the cost. I doubt severely that you know of any skills in bed that would be worth that much more."

"If I am forced to share his bed, it will be an extra thousand."

"You are not that good, Lylly." Taya stood up and turned towards the door.

"Oh, I _am_ that good. I know techniques that would reduce you to an ecstacy-drunk little ball on the floor just by describing them to you. Once I seduce him, no force on this world will ever enable him to get away from me. Plus, he already knows me and trusts me. No one else will offer to help him that he won't suspect. Face it, woman...you need me."

Taya stopped at the door. "You have a very high opinion of your skills."

"It's not bragging if one can back it up. A thousand gold, up front, and I'll stay with him as long as I have to, and get you every small detail you want. Do we have a deal?"

Taya considered. "Deal." She tossed a medium-sized pouch of gold over her shoulder. "I'll be back later to instruct you in the methods you must use to contact and inform us. The rest will be available should you prove competent in your task, and the remainder upon completion of your assignment."

"Plus expenses." Lylly smiled.

Taya nodded. "Done."

"I'm sorry you have to leave so soon, Stephen. We will miss you." Yllen clasped Stephen's offered hand and squeezed it.

"Actually, I think you just miss having someone around who can cut timber like I can. Think you've got enough for firewood?" Stephen shouldered his pack and walked out of his room, ducking as he walked through the hallway.

"Truly, but I must admit, I was enthralled by your stories of your world. I only wish I had more time to learn of it."

"Well, I might be back this way someday. I'll save the rest for when I get back."

As they walked out into the courtyard, Yllen sighed. "Your presence will be missed. There is something about you that makes others feel safe, even when you're not seen. Safety is not a feeling one experiences often in this world. There always seems to be some threat, some danger lurking over the horizon or around the next bend, waiting for the unwary. This world is not a safe place, Stephen."

Stephen stopped at the gates and lookd down at Yllen. "It just got a little bit safer."

Yllen looked up at Stephen for a few moments longer, then jumped up and grasped him around his neck, pulling herself up and kissing him softly. Stephen reflexively put his arms around her to support her and Yllen moaned softly. She held on for a time, then released his neck and dropped down.

Stephen blushed deep crimson. "Uh..."

Yllen giggled. "I would have regretted it for the rest of my life if I hadn't done that. Fare thee well, Sir Stephen, and return to us soon." She backed away a few steps, curtsied, and turned back towards the temple. As she walked away, Yllen noted that othrs had seen what had happened and she smiled broadly. _Fortune favors the bold,_ she reminded herself.

Stephen watched her go, then shook his head and walked out of the temple gates. _Priestesses are scary creatures._ He hoped that not everyone was as affectionate as Yllen; he had no wish to have a band of trolls show up and try to plant any lips on him. He wasn't sure what would kill him first: their breath, or the embarassment.

Walking through Freeport proper gave him some time to think. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly time enough to decide. He'd been trying to learn more about Norrath ever since he'd arrived, and he'd discovered much, but he was still very much out of his element. He was accustomed to large cities, Stuffer Shacks, dance clubs with speakers loud enough to sterilize small animals and endanger human-sized creatures. He missed heavy weaponry, his motorcycle and at that particular moment, he was startin to wonder what he was going to do if he got a headache.

"Do people in your world often stand around in the middle of the street with blank looks on their faces?"

Stephen turned to his right to see a cloaked and cowled figure wearing red leather armor and thigh-high boots, hiding in the shadows of an alley. _Speaking of headaches..._ he mused, walking over to her and standing just outside the alley. "Don't you have something better to do with your time?"

"Not at the moment. Come on in, Stephen. I won't bite...hard."

Stephen moved into the alley and looked down at her. "Spill it. What do you want?"

"Well, I have been thinking. And I felt that I needed to apologize. You have been nothing but cordial, polite and well-mannered, for a human, and I may have been premature in my consideration of you."

"'May'?"

"Very well, I was mistaken about you. Are you happy?"

"Thrilled."

"If I recall correctly, you need a guide to help keep you out of trouble, and it just so happens that I don't need to be anywhere for a time. If you don't mind the stigma of being in the company of a Tier'Dal, of course." Lylly smiled under her hood.

"And what do you get out of it?" Stephen asked suspiciously.

"I have the feeling that excitement is going to follow you around like a chained slave, and I hate to be bored."

"Chained...where do you get this stuff?"

"You'll be surprised about how things work around here. But better to be a little surprised, than be very surprised, correct?"

Stephen sighed. As much as he disliked the idea of hearing Lylly's acid sarcasm on a regular basis, he needed to stay out of the pitfalls a native would avoid. "Very well, Lylly. But don't try anything funny and I want to know what's going on around me before trouble happens, not during or after, got it?"

"Agreed. So, Stephen...where do you want to go?"

"Someplace civilized, with people who would be tolerant of those not like them. Somplace where they know magic wouldn't hurt."

Lylly smiled. "I know just the place. The city of Qeynos might hold the information you seek."

"Then let's go."

"We'll need to pick up plenty of water and rations for the journey. We will be crossing hostile territory, and there are not many places to rest."

"Alright. I think I've got the money for it. Where do we get the supplies?"

"Outfitters place in the Commonlands, a short walk from here."

Stephen nodded. "Then let's go."

As Stephen walked towards the west gate, Lylly walked at his side, smiling. _This is going to be easier than I thought. I'll just steer him away from serious trouble, and by the time his downfall arrives, I'll be both far away and rich. And maybe I'll find out why he's so important to certain individuals and make that work for me._

With that, the two headed out the gates and into the wilderness, crossing into the East Commonlands. As they did so, neither of them knew that Erollisi Marr was watching them both.

With a smile.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
